The present invention relates to a compressible printing sleeve carrier, and more particularly, to a method of making a compressible printing sleeve carrier which utilizes wound filaments coated with a compressible polymer to provide substantially all of the structural properties of a carrier and substantially all of the compressible properties of a printing sleeve.
One of the most common commercial printing processes is offset lithography. In this printing process, ink is offset from a printing plate to a rubber-surfaced printing blanket or sleeve before being transferred to a substrate, such as paper. Typically, where a sleeve is used, the printing sleeve is constructed separately using a thin metal cylindrical base or carrier, and then the layers comprising the sleeve are attached to the carrier, such as one or more compressible layers, one or more reinforcing layers, and an outer printing surface layer.
However, the use of metal as a carrier for printing sleeves is expensive, and metal carriers are susceptible to damage both during production and in use due to their thin structure. In recent years, the use of reinforced polymeric carriers has been proposed for use as a base for printing sleeves. Polymeric carriers are less expensive than metal carriers, can be easily made to any desired size, and are less susceptible to damage during production and use. However, current methods of making polymeric carriers require that the carrier be constructed separately and completely cured prior to the addition of any subsequent layers typically used in printing sleeve constructions.
Accordingly, there is still a need in the art for a printing sleeve carrier which is inexpensive and simple to produce, and which provides desirable structural and compressible properties.